Manufacturing Business News: Augmentation Before Automation, Clean Air Act Waivers and Other Headlines

While we have a great staff of dedicated editors here at IndustryWeek, we can’t write about everything. So, here’s a roundup of news from our parent company Endeavor Business Media’s many news brands.            

• Biden administration OKs California waivers to mandate electric trucks. The EPA granted two Clean Air Act waivers last week, setting high standards for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle sales. FleetOwner Editor-in-Chief Cristina Commendatore explores the varied reactions from professionals throughout the transportation industry.
• Young Engineering Award finalist becomes a role model for women in STEM. In Control Design Chief Editor Mike Bacidore’s Q&A-style article with Lisa Ihde, the web designer, game designer, design-thinking coach and author discusses her path to a career in STEM and how to create a welcoming environment when recruiting women into these fields.
• 10 reasons why industrial data and sustainability are intertwined. “The road to sustainable manufacturing will be paved in data,” writes Managing Editor Anna Townshend. This Plant Services article details how data analytics can directly lead to widespread improvements in operations.
• Connectivity Trends for Automation Devices. On the latest episode of the Automation World Gets Your Questions Answered podcast, David Greenfield, Editor-in-Chief at Automation World, speaks with Nazario Biala of Harting to examine the effect digital transformation has on industrial automation technologies.
• Warehouse Safety: Focus on Augmentation Before Automation. In this EHS Today piece, Axel Schmidt outlines three ways that hands-free wearable barcode scanners can improve safety in warehouses. “This is about striking the right balance in order to establish a healthy human-machine-collaboration,” he writes.
• Using the citizen-development approach to automation to weather the recession. Learn how the citizen development process can reduce costs for manufacturers as the U.S. is teetering on the edge of a recession in this Smart Industry article by Tony Higgins.